When two people have known each other for years, the way my parents have, the small things they do for each other get lost in the mundaneness of everyday living. It is only in sickness that some of these gestures of love stand out as acts of caring. Aai and Baba (mother and father) always stayed together; and when either fell sick, they cooked for each other, made sure medicines were taken on time, along with a million other small gestures that came naturally to them. When mother fractured her hand, which she has fractured twice, father would assist her in the chores that she would normally attend to. He became her personal nurse, taking care of her meals and personal grooming. Similarly, when my father was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Disease, my mother became his personal nurse. It was a tremendously challenging time for them, but she took care of him by herself until his death in August 2021. 

In this photographic memoir, I attempt to reconstruct my parents’ lives with images from their personal archives, and through my own photographs of them over the years. The things that are missed or overlooked when you live with someone become significant when photographed; and somewhere, the process of making this book has been my attempt to acknowledge and remember the moments of their lives which would otherwise be lost to the passage of time. As I became an observer and interpreter of their life together, my own understanding of it transformed. Each gesture that had seemed mundane as a lived reality gained significance as I looked at the photographs again. 

To the reader, I offer this book as a window into the lives of my parents. Photographing the otherwise ordinary lives that they led helped me to see beyond the visible. For me, the camera became a tool to slow down these moments and really observe their relationship and the process of growing old together. With this book, I hope to show what I have seen and share the experience with others.

• Spine: ca. 8.2 mm

• Finishing: softcover, sewn binding

• Format: 200 mm x 280 mm (portrait format)

• Cover: softcover | 300 g/m2, Magno Matt Vol. 1.03

• Inner pages: 80 pages | 135 g/m2, Magno Matt Vol. 1.0